Goodbye.....

[St. Tikon]

You are right...sorry, guess i read it wrong.

 

[Photini]

Tikon,
I just wanted to say that I'm very glad you're staying with us.

 

[Maximus]

Tikon,
I just wanted to say that I'm very glad you're staying with us.

Me, too.

 

[MariaRegina]

Tikon,
I just wanted to say that I'm very glad you're staying with us.

Yo tambien!

 

[St. Tikon]

Yo tambien!

Much thanks, friend!

 

[Reader Nilus]

OK, why don't you like the Tsar?

His army wanted my grandfathers dead. He was a murderous thug, an inept ruler, and so forth. He is a saint like Sts Boris and Gleb, for how he died, not how he lived.
Jeff the Finn

 

[St. Tikon]

His army wanted my grandfathers dead. He was a murderous thug, an inept ruler, and so forth. He is a saint like Sts Boris and Gleb, for how he died, not how he lived.
Jeff the Finn

Jeff:

I understand your feelings completely, but I doubt the Tsar made a personal decision to try to kill your grandfather. Your ancestors weren't Bolshevik's or rebels, right?

He was no "murderous thug". If you read about his life, you will see that had circumstances been different, he would have made an excellent constitutional monarch. Unfortunately, he was destined to be Autocrat of All The Russias, and ruled the best he could,for the education he had. He was raised to rule Russia as an Emperor, but by the time he came to the throne, the days of such things were waning fast. Nevertheless, he loved his people, and his Church.

Now...if your ancestors, whomever they were were rebels, he had every right to try to eliminate them, He was the Tsar. But there were many, many levels, before one got to him, and I doubt there was a personal decision made.

 

[Matrona]

Now...if your ancestors, whomever they were were rebels, he had every right to try to eliminate them, He was the Tsar. But there were many, many levels, before one got to him, and I doubt there was a personal decision made.

Jeff's ancestors are from Finland. (Hence, "jeffthefinn".) Think about it. Although I support the Tsar-Martyr's glorification and venerate him, I can certainly understand why Jeff wouldn't be crazy about him. He'd feel like a traitor to his ancestors.

 

[Reader Nilus]

My grandfathers were Finnish Nationalists. A great many of my family lost their lives in the Finnish Russian war of 1939. When I became Orthodox, the reaction was not against the Church, but why the Russian Church? I explained to my parents about the Finnish Orthodox Church, and that it was a state Church of Finland just like the Lutherans, they were greatly relieved.
Jeff the Finn

 

[MariaRegina]

My grandfathers were Finnish Nationalists. A great many of my family lost their lives in the Finnish Russian war of 1939. When I became Orthodox, the reaction was not against the Church, but why the Russian Church? I explained to my parents about the Finnish Orthodox Church, and that it was a state Church of Finland just like the Lutherans, they were greatly relieved.
Jeff the Finn

Jeff -- notice the similarity of the Finish flag with that of Greece.

My husband's ancestry is also that of the Finnish people - especially those of Lapland -- the Saami people. Without the Swedes (which composed almost all of Scandanavia at that time), the Russian people probably would not be Orthodox today. It was a Swedish army that reestablished St. Vladimir's authority in Russia. St. Vladimir noticed how unified the Swedes were and wanted unity of religion for Russia. The rest is history.

 

[St. Tikon]

Jeff's ancestors are from Finland. (Hence, "jeffthefinn".) Think about it. Although I support the Tsar-Martyr's glorification and venerate him, I can certainly understand why Jeff wouldn't be crazy about him. He'd feel like a traitor to his ancestors.

I DO understand that, but Finland was part of the Russian Empire for centuries. It didn't gain independence until the after the Tsar abdicated.
Finland was treated savagely by the Communist under Stalin, but that certainly wasn't the Tsar's fault.

 

[Orthodox Andrew]

Jeff -- notice the similarity of the Finish flag with that of Greece.

My husband's ancestry is also that of the Finnish people - especially those of Lapland -- the Saami people. Without the Swedes (which composed almost all of Scandanavia at that time), the Russian people probably would not be Orthodox today. It was a Swedish army that reestablished St. Vladimir's authority in Russia. St. Vladimir noticed how unified the Swedes were and wanted unity of religion for Russia. The rest is history.

The Greeks have a new flag now.

 

[Reader Nilus]

I DO understand that, but Finland was part of the Russian Empire for centuries. It didn't gain independence until the after the Tsar abdicated.
Finland was treated savagely by the Communist under Stalin, but that certainly wasn't the Tsar's fault.

Finland was not part of Russia for centuries. Sweden lost Finland in the 1812. which made Finland part of Russia about 105 years.
Jeff the Finn

 

[St. Tikon]

Finland was not part of Russia for centuries. Sweden lost Finland in the 1812. which made Finland part of Russia about 105 years.
Jeff the Finn

However, they never had their independence, so what is the problem?

 

[nicodemus]

However, they never had their independence, so what is the problem?

Just because a certain people have never had their independence doesn't make their oppression any more bearable than if they'd had freedom at some point. Take the Kurds for instance. They're the largest ethnic group in the world without a homeland of their own. Just because Kurdistan has never existed doesn't make their plight under the Iraqis or the Turks any easier.